Ridgid Jobsite Box

Don’t know if this will apply to anyone out there but I couldn’t find any info on this so I might as well share my experience.

I love my 06 access cab Tacoma; however, it is very lacking in the storage department. Being an electrician (just an apprentice lol), I have a decent amount of tools that I have to carry around with me. The backseat is not an option considering I have a full size sub box sitting on top of it, and the front floor board is simply too small for all of my tools. The only option left is a bed tool box.

I apologize in advance to those of you who have the standard diamond plate tool box in your truck bed, but I absolutely HATE the look of those. I don’t know what it is about then but they’re just not for me. I’ve seen several people (normally with full sized trucks) put a jobsite box in the back of their trucks. So my search for a suitable product began

So far I have yet to see much information about putting a jobsite box in a tacoma. I did see a few pictures of a Ridgid 32 inch box in the back of a Tacoma so that’s where I started. After doing some measurements I found that a 42 inch box is the widest box that will fit in a Tacoma bed. I couldn’t find very many 42 inch boxes, and those that I did find were so tall that they would cover more than half of my back glass. So, after reading many many reviews, I decided to go with the Ridgid 32R-OS. It was $209 at Home Depot (worth every penny imo!)
Here it is installed

now for the fun part

I’m not sure how others go about securing this to their truck bed, but the safest option for me seemed like bolts. The legs have several different holes to choose from, so I centered the box and marked 2 holes on each side and proceeded to drill. That was mistake number one.

I completely forgot to look under the truck to make sure I wouldn’t drill through and hit anything. Turns out it’s just the gas tank, no big deal, right? Luckily my drill bit wasn’t long enough to damage any of my fuel system. Then the next problem appeared:
Excuse all the mud, I had some fun the other day

Since the gas tank is in my way, I couldn’t get to the bolts to put a nut on the other end. Yes, I could’ve used self tappers but I didn’t want to risk damaging anything else. Luckily I was still able to get to 2 of the bolts (one on each side) and secure the box.

Bolts were 4 inches long which means I had to go at it with a wrench. Due to all the ribs on the bottom of the bed, I could only turn it 1/16 of a turn at a time while maneuvering my arm around the muffler. Talk about a patience test! 30 minutes and several hand cramps later, I got one of the bolts tightened down.
This is the passenger side. I only did one bolt since I would only be able to do one on the drivers side as well due to the gas tank being in the way. The drivers side was much easier to get to. I used the hole closest to the cab and it was surprisingly easy to get to. Took less than a minute to tighten.
Forgot to mention that the holes on the box are square so that they will hold a carriage bolt in place while you tighten it. Great additional feature!

Another thing to mention is to obviously space the box far enough away from your truck cab so that the lid doesn’t hit the glass when opened.

All in all I absolutely love this box. I put two masterlocks on it (one on each side as the pics will show) and they secure the lid very well. Plenty of room for all my tools and other miscellaneous items!

Picture time!


box is barely visible over the bed side. I kind of like the orange for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

size comparison to my cat. The outer dimensions are 32x19x19 I believe. (of the box not the cat hehe)

Locks used:

 

Looks good, and thank you for the description and write up. I know it'll be useful.

Those jobsite boxes are damn near indestructible. Certainly better than a lot of the typical truck tool boxes out there.

 

the locks fit very nicely and they have a weatherproof cover as well

Moral of the story: look your truck over before you start drilling. Hopefully this will give enough info to help some of you encountering the same “lack of storage” problem that I had.

 

Looks good!
What made you decide to do that instead of a @DECKEDUSA drawer system?

 

I never really looked into a drawer system to be honest. I just know that the Ridgid box is VERY secure (not to say that the @DECKEDUSA system isn’t!) and tools aren’t cheap by any means! Guess it boils down to the fact that I’ve had experience with jobsite boxes and heard a lot more about them than a bed drawer system.

After a quick google search, the @DECKEDUSA system looks SWEET!

 

That's entirely fair. Your box definitely looks secure.

 

I like it.
I would make an effort to get the other bolts in place.
because Momentum...

 

For sure. Don’t think it’s happening with the one over the gas tank unless I come up with something sketchy. Gas tank delete anyone?

 

Plus it's going to rattle with that one bolt missing. Should have used either fender washers or better yet, a plate, especially given the beds in these trucks . That nylock nut is going to start trying to pull out when you go over bumpy/washboard roads. I learned about not using fender washers the hard way too.

 

I was looking at using a couple of bolts in the track on the front of the bed to help secure the box but it depends on how far away you have to have the box so it will open. I think a plate or fender washers are a real good idea.

 

Update: this should have taken maybe two hours tops to get this all finished up; however, it’s now going into the third day and I still can’t find locks that will work!!!

The first locks that I got for the box were just regular master locks. Nothing fancy at all. When I got home and put them on, they were just a little too small and the latch on the lid would hang on the lock when the lid was being opened. Yesterday I went back to Home Depot and got the locks that are seen in the pictures above. Weatherproof with 1-1/2” shackle length. Put them on and they seemed to work great.

I had some other stuff to do in the garage and I started to notice that one side of the box wasn’t quite closed all the way. So I went over and messed with it a little until I finally decided to just push up on the lid and see what happened. The entire lid popped up. Turns out that lock has a rubber shell all the way around (for weatherproofing purposes) and the lock was too big for the latch to catch on the metal part. Just ripped the outer rubber right off.

I was really glad I caught it tho before someone else did

So back to Home Depot again! This time I couldn’t find a weatherproof padlock with the right size shackle. However, I did find a combination lock that had the right size shackle, and the body of the lock would fit perfectly in the hole on my box. The original plan was to buy the locks and then go put them on in the parking lot so if it didn’t work I wouldn’t have to make another 30 minute trip back. Unfortunately it was 5:50 when I bought the locks and now Home Depot closes at 6

So I went home and put the locks on. Seemed to fit great. It’s almost like the box was built with these locks in mind right? Wrong. I COMPLETELY FORGOT that combination locks don’t pop open when you get the combination right, you have to pull them open. Luckily I didn’t close the box lid when I closed the lock or else I wouldn’t have been able to get back in the box.

So here we are. On day 3. My options are to take the locks back and get regular padlocks (which always runs the risk of getting drilled out) or I could somehow put springs on the combo locks I have now so that they will pop open when I get the combo right. Any thoughts? Open to anything at this point.

 

Look for locks specifically made for job boxes. Any industrial store will carry them. If that isn't available, look for a lock with a long shackle locally or something

PACLOCK's Job-Box-Lock Series Padlock, Buy American Act Compliant, Blue Anodized Aluminum, High Security 6-Pin Cylinder, One Lock Keyed to #26541 w/ 2 Keys, Hard. Stainless Shackle

online like this.

You might want to swing by a local reputable locksmith and see what they have to offer.

 

I prefer keyed locks myself, what are the real chances of someone messing with the box in your area?
I mean, I have an outdoor shed with a door that faces my house.
I only lock it while I am out of town.
I have left for the day to go boating and left the backdoor open, not just unlocked, but OPEN and no-one entered or bothered anything.
While you are on a jobsite you prolly won't lock the box anyways.

 

Chances aren’t very high of my box getting tampered with. I live in central AR so the crime rate is stupid low. The only thing I would worry about is going to more populated areas like Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Fayetteville, etc. and of course out of state areas too. Here in a few months I’ll have to be in Little Rock two nights a week for my electrical classes. All in all, I really doubt someone will mess with my stuff but if I’m gonna do it I might as well do it right as far as locks go.

With that said, I don’t want a lock that’s gonna rust out or seize up. Don’t have to deal with much cold weather or ice and snow down here, but I am concerned about the water and rain. I’d really like to find something with maybe a cover over the keyhole that will fit my Ridgid box.

 

Oh and I forgot to mention I found some weatherproof locks online that should fit, I’m just a little gun shy on ordering one after already having to return 3 sets of locks.

 

@ksmith19 Did you have to have to install the box set back away from the very front of the bed for the lid to clear the back glass when opening? I'm curious about getting a 42" Better Built job box (partly because it's already grey), but I'm trying to weigh all the options and what it'll take to get it mounted. Do you think having the side space on the sides of the 32" is pretty valuable compared to box space? Looks like VP gas cans would fit in that spot.

 

I thought maybe I was just missing the washer, but seeing that bolt/nut with no washer drove me crazy lol. Agree about the fender washer (at least)...individual plates would be better....2 long plates to cover 2 bolts each would be best, IMO.

 

You did a nice install.....I really hate to suggest this......

The nuts. Did you use a nylock type nut? These are very good at remaining tight and resisting vibrations. Perhaps when you install the remaining 2 bolts.

 

Not to raise the thread back up like I did a couple months ago, but I'm going to add this to this thread since this is the thread I found when looking for info.

OP installed a 32" box, but I went for a 42" job box from Better Built. Somehow got free shipping from Acme Tool. Installed in the square holes in the feet with 3" long 3/8 carriage bolts with fender washers and nylon locknuts on the bottom. Leaves a gap of about 7" between the box and the bedsides. A 2x8 behind the box set perfect spacing from the front of the bed for the lid to clear the back glass when open <- very important.




In case anyone in the future needs info for the 42" box option, there's a reference.

 

I would suggest putting some 7/8" unistrut/ kind of whatever is called in your area.

The stuff is U shaped with the tips folded in. The flat side either has holes or slots, 2" on center.
This will spread the stresses out over the length of strut rather than just the nut and or washer.